The present invention relates generally to vehicles, and more particularly to a vehicle wheel bearing and to a wheel-speed-sensor connector-plug bracket.
Vehicles include automotive vehicles having conventional wheel bearings wherein each wheel bearing includes a non-rotatable section (such as a bearing hub), a rotatable section (such as a bearing spindle) rotatably attached to the non-rotatable section, and wheel studs (also called stud bolts). The non-rotatable section typically is attached to a vehicle suspension system component. The stud bolt is press fitted into a through hole of the spindle flange. A vehicle wheel is placed on the stud bolts and secured by wheel nuts (also called lug nuts).
Some known wheel bearings include an anti-lock-braking-system (ABS) wheel speed sensor. The ABS wheel speed sensor has a target ring attached to the rotatable section of the vehicle wheel bearing and has a sensor ring assembly. The sensor ring assembly includes a sensor ring which senses the rotation of the target ring, a connector plug, and a pigtail wire having one end electrically connected to the sensor ring and having another end electrically connected to the connector plug. The connector plug is adapted for electrical connection to a vehicle ABS computer cable. The sensor ring is attached to the non-rotatable section of the vehicle wheel bearing. The plug is attached (via a xe2x80x9cW-clipxe2x80x9d) to a bracket which is welded to the suspension system component (such as to a knuckle which is attached to a strut of the suspension system) to prevent undesired movement of the connector plug within the vehicle. Some applications call for separate right-side and left-side brackets for right-side and left-side suspension system components. The ABS computer cable is secured by grommets to routing notches in the bracket. The vehicle wheel bearing is shipped with the vehicle wheel speed sensor already incorporated into the rest of the wheel bearing. A temporary shipping shield is removably attached by a snap fit to the sensor-ring housing to protect/secure the pigtail wire and the connector plug. The plastic shipping shield is removed and discarded when assembling the bearing (including the connector plug) to the vehicle.
What is needed is an improved vehicle wheel bearing and an improved wheel-speed-sensor connector-plug bracket.
A first expression of an embodiment of the invention is for a vehicle wheel bearing including a vehicle-wheel-bearing non-rotatable section and a wheel speed sensor. The wheel speed sensor includes a sensor ring assembly. The sensor ring assembly has a sensor ring, a connector plug, an electrical conductor, and a bracket. The sensor ring is attached to the non-rotatable section. The connector plug is adapted for electrical connection to a vehicle computer cable. The electrical conductor electrically connects the sensor ring to the connector plug. The bracket is adapted for removable attachment to the sensor-ring housing and is adapted for attachment to a non-bearing vehicle component. The connector plug is attachable to the bracket.
A second expression of an embodiment of the invention is for apparatus including a wheel-speed-sensor connector-plug bracket. The bracket is adapted for removable attachment to a sensor ring of a wheel speed sensor of a vehicle wheel bearing. The bracket is also adapted for attachment to a non-bearing vehicle component. The bracket is further adapted for attaching thereto a connector plug of the wheel speed sensor.
Several benefits and advantages are derived from one or more of the expressions of an embodiment of the invention. Having a single bracket which functions as both a shipping shield and a bracket reduces the number of needed parts and eliminates having to discard a part after shipping.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention showing a vehicle wheel bearing including a wheel-speed-sensor connector-plug bracket attached to the sensor ring and including the connector plug attached to the bracket;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vehicle wheel bearing of FIG. 1, but with the bracket detached from the bearing and the electrical conductor removed from the routing notches of the bracket and with a vehicle computer cable about to be electrically connected to the connector plug;
FIG. 3 is perspective view of a portion of the vehicle wheel bearing of FIG. 1 together with a suspension system member and brake components, wherein the bracket is attached to the suspension system member; and
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the bracket of FIG. 1.